In theory it makes sense to punish drivers that put other drivers in extreme danger by driving in the wrong direction, but others wonder if the proposal is even necessary. Someone with an extremely elevated BAC going in the wrong direction and injuring a person is no more at fault than a drunk driver who runs a stop sign and injures another driver, so why is one at-fault drunk being targeted more than others?
It will be interesting to see if this proposal gains any traction as it makes its way through legislature, but it doesn’t seem like it will really do anything to deter wrong way drunk drivers. No drunk driver makes the conscious choice to drive the wrong way down the street, and none of them are going to be deterred from getting behind the wheel because they fear stiffer punishments for driving the wrong way down the road. In-road sensors, large flashing signs and video cameras have all been shown to be more effective at curbing the issue of wrong way DUIs and traffic accidents, so it may be wise for Illinois to consider some alternative proposals.
We all want to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road and traffic accidents, but will this legislation actually do anything to move us closer to that goal? We don’t think so.
